I wrote Beginner’s Luck, the first instalment of the Mythical Menagerie series, back in 2017. All I had was a spark – a character with an unusual (to me, at least) name who goes on adventures and finds mythical creatures. I had no idea where the story would take me… or how much it would come to define my creative life.

In that time, I’ve written 17 instalments, compiled into three novels, plus two prequel stories – one short story, the other a novella. This series has consumed my brain for eight years now. That’s almost a decade of thinking about Ambrose and Amari and Una and everyone else who walk the pages of my mind.

And now…

Now I’m about to start writing the very last instalment of Ambrose’s adventures.

And it’s scaring the hell out of me.

You can see from the graph below when I started writing full-time and how many words I’ve written and edited in the last five months. (Who doesn’t love a good bar chart?!)

I’m not used to writing so much in such a short time – it’s been both fun and challenging. But the unanticipated effect of this sudden acceleration is that the story will be done much sooner than I expected.

That brings both a sense of relief… and an abject sense of terror and loss.

I know – it’s ridiculous, really – but it’s something I’ve been struggling with these last few weeks, and it’s definitely had an impact on my word count.

For one thing, writing these last two books so quickly has meant that I haven’t had the time to sit back and think about what’s coming – or how to craft a truly satisfying ending. I know what needs to happen… I just don’t yet know how to get there.

And also: do I really want to end it all? Can’t I just come up with more adventures for Ambrose and the gang and continue indefinitely?

Let me tell you – it’s tempting.

But it’s also not the brave thing to do.

I’ve continued with the Mythical Menagerie series for so long because it’s the book of my heart. Even though the sales haven’t been great until now (I guess I’ll have to start advertising at some point…), I just really enjoy the characters and the universe I’ve created. I hope more people can enjoy them with me.

On the other hand, I’m also really looking forward to writing something new. I have so many story ideas that I only touch upon briefly in my monthly flash fiction pieces. The greatest challenge might just be picking one that I can get obsessed with the way I’ve been obsessed with Ambrose’s story.

All this is to say that I’m currently in a very strange place – both dreading and longing for the end of an era.

I hope I can do it justice.

I hope I can make it as epic as it deserves to be.

I’d love to hear from you in the comments: As readers, do you love a story that wraps up neatly – or do you prefer endings that leave a little room for more? And when Ambrose’s adventures finally come to an end, what do you think you’ll miss most about the Mythical Menagerie world?